Teaching
The Poor & Reflection
The Generosity Practice is orienting our hearts to the abundance mentality of Jesus. It is said that there are 500 verses on faith in the Bible. 500 verses on prayer. But, over 2,000 verses on Godʻs heart for The Poor.
Stewardship
The Generosity Practice is orienting our hearts to the abundance mentality of Jesus. 25% of Jesusʻ teaching focus on money and Generosity. Nearly 50% of Jesusʻ teachings focus on stewardship.
Giving
The Generosity Practice is orienting our hearts to the abundance mentality of Jesus. The Greek word for “blessed” is makarios which means happy. Translating the meaning behind Acts 20: 35 when Jesus was quoted as saying, “It is more blessed to give than to receive,” means that youʻre happier giving than receiving.
Reflection Sunday
The Service Practice invites us into a deeper way of thinking about serving others—one that goes far beyond duty, obligation, or simply “being helpful.” At its core, true service is rooted in love—and not just any kind of love, but agape love: the unconditional, sacrificial, expect-nothing-in-return love that flows from the heart of God Himself.
Hanai
In Hawaii we have a beautiful word, “hānai,” to mean someone considered family to us by taking on the responsibility to love, love, and care for them as a part of our family, beyond legal or blood bonds. This is the crux of the fourth movement of The Service Practice as acts of service best done up-close.
Interruptible
It has been mentioned that in the Gospel of Mark Jesus was interrupted over 30 times. And He used these interruptions to love and serve people. Are you interruptible like Jesus?
Love is the Why
We define The Service Practice as the expression of Christlike love through meeting the practical needs of others. At the heart of the Greatest Commandment and all of these spiritual disciplines or Practices of Jesus is love. Love for God. Love for Others.
Reflection Sunday
On the surface, Fasting seems hard—perhaps even unnecessary. Why would anyone choose hunger? How could denying the body possibly be spiritual? These are natural questions for those of us shaped by a culture of abundance, where food is always within reach and consumption is as common as breathing.
Stand With Others
On Baptism Sunday this summer I was here putting things back in storage after the picnic and just marveling in what was a wonderful day anointed by God. That’s when I happened to notice that someone had left a voicemail on our church phone line. All the person said was something like, “I’m asking for prayer. Thank you.”
Amplify Our Prayers
It was May 1940. The Nazi’s have just overrun France. 338,000 Allied troops were trapped on the beach at Dunkirk (Western France on the English Channel). British Prime Minister Winston Churchill is gearing up for the annihilation of the British army and the last line of defense against the Nazi’s and England.
Grow in Holiness
One of this week’s core passages is Jesus’ own definition of discipleship—the foundation for our three pillars of spiritual formation at Formation Church: Denying Self. Surrendering Fully. Following Daily. (Matthew 16:24). The spiritual discipline—or Practice—of Fasting invites us into this very posture.
Offer Ourselves to Jesus
The practice of fasting is not merely about abstaining from food—it is about offering our whole selves, body and soul, to God. When we feel hunger, it reminds us of something missing, an emptiness. In fasting, that physical longing becomes a spiritual longing, redirecting our desire toward God Himself.
Reflection Sunday
As we look back over these past four weeks of the Scripture Practice, I believe we can all see how our appreciation for God’s Word has grown. There is a reason the Bible remains the best-selling book of all time and is found in nearly 78% of American households.
Memorize
The Scripture Practice is the slow, prayerful, contemplative reading of Scripture with the goal of formation, not only information. This week, we focus on storing the truth of Scripture deep within our hearts, minds, and even our bodies. Memorizing Scripture is far more valuable than the speed.
Read
I’m thrilled for us to embark on our next ancient Practice of Jesus—Scripture. This is not just a habit or a discipline; it’s an intentional act of weaving the Word of God into the very fabric of our lives. Jesus and Scripture are inseparable. To follow Him is to immerse ourselves in the words that reveal His heart, His mission, and His way.
Reflection Sunday
As we look back on these past four weeks of our Community Practice, I wonder—has this been easy for you, challenging, or maybe a little of both? For me, two practices have been especially challenging and impactful so far: Solitude and Community.
2025 Commissioning
Congratulations to our graduating high school seniors—Noah Choy (University of Utah) and Kaley Fung (Willamette University)—as you step into this exciting new chapter. We celebrate with you and send you off with this simple but profound charge from the Apostle Paul in 1 Thessalonians 4:11–12
Stay Together to Grow
The secular culture of ancient Corinth, the prosperous, ethnically diverse, and worldly city in which the early church grew, sounded not too dissimilar from our Western culture today. In a way, it’s a bit sad that humanity hasn’t changed. Humanity has a way of repeating itself as the depravity of our species was sown into our DNA.
Confess Your Sins
As my wife Tammi and son Joshua have heard me say many times — and some of you too — my college years were among the best four years of my life. If I could’ve been a professional student forever, I would’ve done it in a heartbeat.
Share Joys & Sorrows
Jesus was both fully God and fully human. So when He said, “In this world you will have trouble” (John 16:33), He wasn’t speaking abstractly—He truly understood the trials of everyday life. But Jesus didn’t stop there. He continued: “But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Be Family Around a Table
I love Dallas Willard’s famous quote: “The main thing that God gets out of your life is the person you become.” But I’d like to add a corollary to that thought: “… in His family.” Spiritual formation doesn’t happen in isolation—it happens in community. Church is family, and family is church.
Reflection Sunday
We've been diving into the Prayer Practice by looking at this practice in four movements: Talking to God: We called this “pre-made prayers.” When Jesus’ disciples asked him to teach them how to pray, he gave them what we know was The Lord’s Prayer. Luke 11:1-4.
Being With God
Movement Four: Being with God. We've been talking a lot about prayer lately—not just the “ask God for stuff” kind of prayer—but the kind where you actually just be with God. We might call this “contemplative prayer.”
Listenting to God
Movement Three: Listening to God. In the third movement of the Prayer Practice—Listening to God—we learn how to recognize and respond to the voice of God. In John 10:2–5, Jesus describes Himself as the Good Shepherd whose sheep know His voice.
Talking With God
Prayer, as modeled by Jesus, invites us into a dynamic and multifaceted relationship with God. At Formation Church, we describe the Prayer Practice through four movements.
Talking to God
This week we welcomed the start of the Prayer Practice. Like Sabbath and Solitude, Prayer is an ancient practice of Jesus that allows the Holy Spirit to transform us. Prayer, as modeled by Jesus, invites us into a dynamic and multifaceted relationship with God. At Formation Church, we describe the Prayer Practice through four movements.